After leaving the castle, Kurai returned to the temporary home where he had been living. For two months, he had prepared in silence, sharpening his strength, feeding his creatures, and waiting.
Now, everything was ready.
It was time for his revenge against the Soul Devouring Tree.
The boat they had used before was still resting beside the headless statue—but now, under the dim light, its true nature was visible. It was not made of wood.
It was made from the bones of a demon.
Smooth, pale, and slightly curved, the structure looked almost alive, as if it remembered the creature it once belonged to.
At night, Kurai approached it without hesitation. He pushed the bone-boat into the dark sea, the surface swallowing it in silence. Sitting down, he let the shadows gather around him.
Darkness wrapped him completely.
No monster sensed his presence.
---
After hours of drifting through the Sea of Ash, he saw it again—the twisted silhouette of the Soul Devouring Tree.
'Before… I wasn't ready to believe a tree could attack me.'
His eyes grew cold.
'But this time… I'm ready for anything.'
'It's time for you to die.'
---
Reaching the higher ground, Kurai summoned his dark creatures.
They surged forward and slaughtered every monster surrounding the tree.
Then—
"Soul Lord… end it."
The Ascendent Terror crushed the Awakened Terror without mercy.
Moments later the spell whispered.
[You have slain an Awakened Terror: Soul Devourer Tree]
[Your darkness grows stronger]
[You have received a memory: Devouring Souls]
---
After spending the day nearby, Kurai returned at night.
But on the way back, a corrupted monster attacked the bone-boat, shattering part of its structure. Kurai was forced into the black sea and had to swim the rest of the way back.
---
Back at his home, Kurai continued hunting and growing stronger.
He only fed the useless memories to his dark creatures—the ones that held no real value. The better memories, he kept.
Since arriving in the Dream Realm, he had obtained four truly valuable memories:
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Memory: Watch
Rank: Dormant
Class: I
Type: Tool
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Memory: Dark World
Rank: Awakened
Class: III
Type: Charm
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Memory: Poisonous Dagger
Rank: Awakened
Class: II
Type: Weapon
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Memory: Devouring Souls
Rank: Ascendent
Class: VI
Type: Weapon
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Two months ago he had killed the Soul Devouring Tree.
Tomorrow night, he would meet his friends.
For now, he slept.
---
In the middle of the day—
Kurai's eyes snapped open.
A dark creature had awakened him.
"What's wrong, buddy…?" he muttered, voice heavy with sleep. "Why did you wake me…?"
Then he felt it.
A presence.
No—multiple.
Outside.
---
A group of monsters approached his house.
They were humanoid, with four arms and two legs. Their upper arms ended in long, curved scythes, dripping with a dark aura.
At their center—
The Corrupted Tyrant.
It looked almost human—but wrong.
Six arms. Four legs.
Its body was tall and distorted, wrapped in living darkness that moved like smoke. In its main hands, it held a long, jagged spear made of condensed shadows.
Its hollow gaze fixed on Kurai's home.
[Soul EaTer] attacked first.
And that was enough.
---
The Tyrant let out a low, distorted sound.
Then it attacked.
---
The ground exploded as the first strike hit.
Kurai stepped outside slowly, his expression turning cold.
"…You chose the wrong place."
Darkness surged.
His memories materialized.
His creatures roared into existence.
---
"Hold them."
The Soul Lord took control of the lesser monsters, turning them against each other.
The battlefield erupted.
Soul Devourer clashed with the Tyrant, buying time.
Kurai stepped forward.
"Don't die too fast…"
---
The Tyrant moved.
Too fast.
But this time—
It didn't attack immediately.
It stopped a few steps away from Kurai.
Watching.
All six of its arms shifted slowly, adjusting their positions. The spear lowered slightly—not in hesitation, but in calculation.
It was observing him.
Kurai's eyes narrowed.
"…You're not mindless."
The Tyrant tilted its head.
Then—
It attacked.
The spear shot forward—not toward Kurai's chest.
—but his eyes.
A killing thrust meant to blind him instantly.
Kurai twisted his head at the last second. The tip grazed past his temple, slicing skin.
Before he could counter—
Two lower arms swung low, aiming for his legs.
Kurai jumped, but that was exactly what the Tyrant wanted.
Mid-air—A third arm manifested a spike of darkness and launched it upward.
Straight toward his lower abdomen.
"—!"
Kurai barely twisted in time. The spike tore across his side instead of piercing through him.
He landed hard, sliding back.
"…It's setting traps."
The Tyrant didn't rush.
It circled him.
Slow.
Measured.
Every step was deliberate.
It was learning his movement.
Kurai attacked first this time.
He dashed forward, blade aimed at the Tyrant's neck.
The Tyrant didn't block.
It stepped forward instead.
Letting the blade pass just beside its neck—
—and countered instantly.
A downward spear strike aimed at Kurai's skull.
Kurai barely raised his sword in time.
CLANG—
The impact crushed him downward, forcing one knee to the ground.
Then came the follow-up.
Four arms struck at once—
Head.
Chest.
Lower abdomen.
Left side.
Kurai gritted his teeth and twisted his body, barely avoiding a fatal hit. One strike still landed, slamming into his ribs.
Crack.
He was thrown back again.
"…It's reading me," Kurai muttered, blood dripping from his mouth.
The Tyrant didn't respond.
But its movements changed.
More precise.
More efficient.
Kurai use his Innate Ability for the first time.
Kurai dissolved into shadow.
This time—
The Tyrant didn't panic.
It closed its eyes.
Kurai appeared behind it—
Blade aimed at the neck.
But the moment he materialized—
The Tyrant moved.
It didn't turn.
It stabbed backward.
The spear pierced straight through Kurai's side.
Kurai's eyes widened.
"…It predicted it…?!"
The Tyrant followed with another attack.
It slammed its lower limbs into the ground—
Darkness surged outward in a circular wave.
Kurai was forced back, his shadow form destabilizing.
"You're learning too fast…" Kurai muttered.
The Tyrant changed strategy again.
Instead of chasing him—
It attacked his surroundings.
Darkness spears rained down—not at Kurai—
—but at angles that limited his movement.
Cutting off escape paths.
Forcing him into specific positions.
"…You're herding me."
Kurai's breathing grew heavier.
Every move he made—
The Tyrant had already considered.
Minutes passed.
The battle became suffocating.
Every attack Kurai made was countered.
Every dodge led into another trap.
Then—
The Tyrant made a mistake.
Or—
What looked like one.
It overextended.
A wide swing.
An opening at its lower abdomen.
Kurai saw it.
And hesitated.
"…No… that's bait."
The Tyrant froze for half a second.
Then—
Shifted.
The "opening" vanished.
Its arms repositioned instantly.
It had tested him.
"…You're not just strong," Kurai said quietly.
"You're thinking."
The Tyrant stepped forward again.
This time—
It accelerated.
No more testing.
The next exchange was brutal.
Kurai aimed for the joints—trying to disable its arms.
The Tyrant adapted—keeping its limbs moving unpredictably.
Kurai aimed for the head—
The Tyrant angled its body to redirect the strike.
Kurai attacked the lower abdomen again—
This time—
The Tyrant allowed it.
The blade pierced.
Kurai's eyes widened.
"…Why—"
Too late.
Darkness exploded from the wound.
Binding his arm.
Trap.
The Tyrant's spear came down—
Straight toward Kurai's head.
"SOUL LORD!" Kurai roared.
At the last moment—
Controlled monsters slammed into the Tyrant, disrupting the strike.
The spear missed by inches.
Kurai ripped his arm free, tearing through the binding darkness.
Blood sprayed.
He staggered back.
"…You almost had me."
Now—
He understood.
He couldn't outplay it.
Not completely.
So he chose something else.
Overwhelming force.
Darkness gathered into his blade.
"Devouring Souls…"
---
The Tyrant sensed the change.
For the first time—
It moved back.
Kurai vanished.
The Tyrant reacted instantly—
But this time—
It was too late.
Kurai didn't attack from where it expected.
Not behind.
Not above.
He came from below.
Bursting upward—
Blade aimed at the head.
The Tyrant tried to block—
But its arms were half a second too slow.
The strike landed.
Darkness split.
Silence.
The Tyrant stood still.
Then—
Its body separated.
Destroyed.
Kurai landed—and collapsed immediately.
His body trembled violently.
Pain consumed him.
He couldn't move.
"…It almost… killed me…" he whispered.
---
The battlefield fell silent.
Then the spell whispers.
[You have slain an Currupted tyrant: Blood of the king]
[Your Darkness growin stronger]
[You have received an echo: Blood of the king]
A Sleeper had defeated a Corrupted Tyrant—
Not by overpowering it completely—
But by surviving its strategy.
---
Kurai closed his eyes.
"…Next time… I might not win."